The Power of Love
by Laney1
Summary: This is a tale of what would have happened if Jesse hadnt made it all the way to the Museum. What if he was able to get to Terabithia in time to save Leslie?
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Bridge to Terabithia or the characters within it. I only own my thoughts and the story that comes from them. (the first chapter or so is going to be based on what happened in the movie, but what happens from there are my thoughts alone)

This is a story about what would have happened if Jesse hadn't made it to the museum. What if he had gotten to Terabithia in time to witness what happened to Leslie and save her?

Jesse Aarons sighed softly as he rolled over in bed and snagged up his sketch book. He flipped through the pages and stopped when he came to the one sketch of his best friend Leslie Burke. The small smile that whisked its way across his lips was unmistakable. He cared for Leslie deeply, maybe more than an eleven year old boy should. But the two were best friends and only time would tell what would happen between them. A shout from downstairs pulled Jesse from his thoughts and he slammed his sketch book closed with a bang.

"What?" He yelled as he threw his legs over the side of the bed and made his way around his makeshift curtain separating his and May Belle's rooms.

"The phone's for you. It's your girlfriend!" May Belle giggled as she jogged into their bedroom and tossed the phone at Jesse before taking off back down the stairs. Jesse rolled his eyes and snatched up the phone.

"She's not my girlfriend!" me muttered to himself as he shook his head slowly and placed the receiver to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Hi Jess! Sorry to bother you on your weekend off, but I have a question for you." The soft voice came across the line and startled Jesse. It wasn't Leslie after all. It was Ms. Edmonds, his teacher.

"Oh! Ms. Edmonds. That's okay, I don't mind." Jesse stammered for a moment as he sat back down on his bed with a curious look on his face. He had always had a slight crush on Ms. Edmonds and her calling him on a Saturday morning was quite the surprise.

"Well, I have tickets to the museum and I was supposed to take my nephews today, but my sister called and cancelled last minute, so I was wondering…." She trailed off softly but Jesse knew exactly what she was asking and his excitement was evident.

"I'd love to! Let me ask my mom!" Jesse cried in excitement as he cupped the phone in his hand and took off down the hallway to his parents room. His mother was napping. His baby sister Joyce Anne had kept her up all night and she was tired. He crept into the room slowly, peeking his head in the doorway and stopping there.

"Mom?"

"Hm? What is it? Is it the baby?" she called groggily, rolling over to look at Jesse with sleepy eyes.

"No, May Belle's got her." Jesse reassured her quickly. "Ms. Edmonds was wondering if I could go to the museum with her today?" He asked. But Mrs. Aarons had already rolled back over and started to fall back asleep.

"Is that okay?" Jesse asked again, still clutching the phone in his hand.

"Mmm." Mrs. Aarons mumbled softly. Simply wanting peace and quiet so she could continue her nap. Jesse took the mumble as a yes and stepped quietly out of the bedroom. He raised the phone back to his ear.

"Ms. Edmonds? Mom said I could go!" They finished their conversation, deciding that Jesse should get ready and Ms. Edmonds would pick him up in five minutes. After hanging up the call Jesse raced back to his room and quickly got changed. He threw on a t-shirt with less grass stains on it than the others, and a pair of jeans to match. Grabbing his sweater on his way out of his room, he tied it around his waist and raced down the stairs. He made it outside just as Ms. Edmonds was pulling into his driveway. He ran up to her car and hopped in the passenger seat with a smile.

"Good morning Jess. Beautiful day." Ms. Edmonds smiled back at him as she waited for him to put on his seatbelt and then started out of the driveway.

"Good morning." Jesse replied politely as he gazed out the window at Leslie's house just as they were driving by.

"What's the matter? Did you forget something?" Ms. Edmonds asked as she noticed Jesse had gone quiet. Jesse shook his head slowly, turning away from the window to look back at his teacher.

"Nope, I have everything." He replied with a smile. He was debating bringing Leslie along. But for some reason he didn't want to this time. He wanted to spend time with Ms. Edmonds alone. Besides, Leslie would understand.


	2. Chapter 2

I do not Own Terabithia or the characters!!

Alright, thanks so much for the reviews guys! I really appreciate it! I know the first chapter was pretty much exactly how the movie itself went, but from now on things are going to change. I really hope you like my ideas! Keep up the reviews. Now anyways, onto the story.

Jesse and Ms. Edmonds were chatting nonchalantly about random things and simply enjoying each others company. They were only a few miles away from Jesse's house when a loud bang startled them out of their conversation. Ms. Edmonds eyes went wide as she struggled to control the car and pull it over to the side of the road.

"Oh shoot." She mumbled softly as she glanced quickly over at Jesse, who's expression matched her own. "Are you alright?" she asked, reaching over to pat his arm gently in reassurance. Jesse nodded slowly. He was fine. But what had happened?

" I think we got a flat." Ms. Edmonds explained as she unbuckled her seat belt and opened the door to her car. She stepped outside and glanced down at the front driver side tire. Not only had they gotten a flat tire, but the tire had blown, small pieces of rubber were scattered everywhere.

"Oh no. I'm sorry Jess." Ms. Edmonds sighed. " We'll have to go to the museum another time. I'll have to get to the shop and get this fixed." Jesse nodded as he exited the car and made his way around to stand next to Ms. Edmonds.

"That's okay. I understand." Of course he was disappointed. But it wasn't anyone's fault. With a small reassuring smile, Ms Edmonds motioned to the trunk with a small nod of her head.

"How about we get the spare on and I'll take you back home?" Jesse couldn't help but smile back at her.

"Okay." And with that said, the two got to work changing the destroyed tire.

Back Home (Leslies POV)

"Where is he?" Leslie wondered aloud to herself. She was beginning to get bored sitting on her porch alone. Jesse was supposed to pick her up half an hour ago so they could go to Terabithia together like they did every day. With a soft sigh she pushed herself up off of the steps and slowly started walking towards Jesse's house. Maybe he had gotten busy helping his father in the Green house. She nodded firmly. Yes, that had to be it. There was no way he had forgotten her. Quickening her pace she skipped the rest of the way to Jesse's, her mood suddenly much better. When she finally reached his house she took the stairs two at a time and then knocked softly on the wooden door. She could hear rummaging inside and suddenly May Belle's voice rung out from within.

"I got it!" May Belle called sharply. The door swung open wide and May Belle's small form filled the doorway.

"Oh, Leslie, it's you." May Belle smiled happily. She had grown quite fond of Leslie and loved spending as much time with her as possible. Leslie smiled back.

"Hi May Belle. How are you this fine morning?"

"I'm good. Jess isn't here right now." May Belle answered Leslie's question before she even had the chance to ask it. Leslie's widened slightly but she quickly forced back her surprise. She was sure that he would be helping his dad.

"Oh. Do you know where he is?" She asked softly. Struggling to hide her disappointment. May Belle shrugged lightly.

"I'm not sure, but I think he went somewhere with your teacher." Now that was something Leslie was definitely not expecting.

"Oh. Okay. Thank you." Leslie stammered lightly. Why would he have left and not told her? Why wouldn't he have invited her? She wasn't overly angry, she was simply confused. She turned slowly and started down the steps.

"Did you want to come in and play barbies with me?" May Belle asked happily. Her grin never leaving her chubby face. She didn't really notice that Leslie was distracted at the moment.

"Um. Maybe later May Belle. But thank you." Leslie forced a smile for the little girl and then continued on her way. Instead of going back to her house like she probably should have. She turned and made her way across the field and down the path towards Terebithia. If Jesse didn't want to come with her today he didn't have to. She would go to Terebithia herself. Maybe she would work on their castle and show him how creative she could be even without his help.


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own Terabithia nor do I own the story line.

Hope you liked the last chapter guys! Now onto another!

"There we go. All done" Ms Edmonds brushed her hands together to get some of the dirt off and then nodded at the car. "Ready to go kiddo?" Jesse nodded at her and then stood up from his crouching position on the ground next to the tire. Ms. Edmonds smiled, then picked up the remains of her blown tire and placed them in the trunk. She then moved to the driver's door and got in. Jesse hopped in his side of the car and buckled his seatbelt. Oh well. So he didn't get to go to the museum today. Maybe he could still go to Terabithia with Leslie instead. He hoped she wouldn't be upset with him for not inviting her, even though he didn't really make it to the museum.

The drive back to Jesse's house was quite uneventful. Ms. Edmonds had to drive very slowly on her spare tire so she was distracted most of the time. Jesse occupied himself by listening to the radio and looking out the window. When they finally arrived Jesse was more than ready to get home so he could see Leslie.

"Thanks again Ms. Edmonds." Jesse said politely as he unbuckled his seatbelt and opened his car door.

"No problem kiddo. I just wish we would have made it all the way." Ms. Edmonds replied regrettably.

"That's okay. Next time." Jesse answered before hopping from the car and closing the door. He waved at his teacher and then took off running towards Leslies house. Taking the steps two at a time, he skidded to a halt at the top of the stairs and knocked on the door. There was no answer. He waited for a few more minutes and then turned with a frown and headed back down the stairs. Maybe she decided to go without him. Well, he would surprise her and show up. And then apologize for not meeting her this morning. Yes, that is exactly what he would do. Breaking into a run (his favorite thing to do), Jesse took off towards Terabithia and the magical rope that separated the barrier from reality and fiction.

(Leslie's POV)

Leslie jerked to a stop the moment she saw the creek. The water was way higher than she had ever seen it. It had stormed the night before, but she had never expected it to look like this. There was a fallen log crossing the creek a few feet away from the rope. But Leslie trusted the rope more than the rickety old log so she began the process of reaching the rope with a large stick so that she could use it to swing across. Gripping the rope tightly she hopped up onto a tree stump and prepared herself to jump.

(Jesse's POV)

Jesse Made it to the edge of the trees in record time. Once there, he slowed down slightly so he could catch his breath. A flash of something through the trees caught his attention and he frowned.

"Leslie?" He called curiously before beginning to jog towards the rope. He broke through the trees just in time to spot Leslie gripping the rope and jumping from the stump. "Leslie!" He called again as he took a step forward and then gasped. Leslie turned her head back to look at him just as she was swinging across. She smiled and then the motion was quickly over shadowed by a look of alarm as the rope above her suddenly snapped and she plummeted to the raging creek below.


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own Terabithia or the characters.

Thanks to MadTom for correcting my spelling errors! I really appreciate it and I am in the process of fixing it now. Thanks again! Enjoy.

"NO!" The word escaped Jesse's lips as he tore towards the creek edge to see what had happened to his best friend Leslie. His eyes scanned the waters edge franticly, his entire body trembling in fear for his friend. Just as he was about to panic, he spotted a flash of purple and blond to his left. He narrowed his eyes to see it better and nearly passed out in relief. The creek had pushed her down stream slightly, but a large rock had stopped her from going far. She was pinned up against the rock, half on shore and half in the water. Jesse didn't hesitate; he ran for the fallen log and struggled to hurry across. About half-way there, his feet slipped on the slick wood and he fell forward, landing on his chest with a hard thump. Struggling through the stars, Jesse pushed himself upright and tried again. He made it across this time and raced down stream towards the unmoving Leslie.

"Les!" he called as he slipped and slid his way down the embankment to her side. He took her under the arms and pulled her all the way back up onto the shore. He then rolled her over onto her back to get a good look at her. She was eerily still, her lips nearly blue with cold. Her blond hair was matted to her forehead a mixture of water and blood. She must have hit her head when she landed in the water. Jesse ran his hands through his hair in frustration. What was he going to do?

"Help!!" he yelled suddenly. He was not going to let his friend die. It was bad enough he let her get hurt. Not thinking twice about it he scooped his friend up in his arms awkwardly. After all, she was almost as tall as he was and she was also soaking wet. But Jesse was not the type to give up, especially since he had met Leslie. Struggling up the embankment with her cradled in his arms was quite the adventure. But making it across the log was even harder. It took him at least five minutes to make it across and keep his footing in the process. Once across, Jesse broke into a jog. He couldn't quite run while carrying Leslie at the same time.

"Hang on Leslie. I've got you." Jesse muttered out loud, glancing down quickly at his friend to see that the bleeding had stopped but she was still frighteningly pale and unmoving. A thin layer of sweat covered Jesse's brow. He wasn't sure how much further he could go while carrying her. He could see his house across the field now. He was almost there.

"Dad!" he yelled franticly as he struggled to run faster. "Dad! Help!" He tried again. Please let someone hear him. Jesse looked up in time to see a figure emerging from the greenhouse. The tall form took one look at Jesse struggling with Leslie and raced towards them.

"Dad." Jesse sobbed as he finally fell to his knees, Leslie still cradled against his chest.

"Jess! What happened?!" Mr. Aarons slid to a halt in front of his son and dropped to his knees to check Leslie's pulse.

"The rope broke and she fell. I tried to hurry. I'm so sorry Dad." Jesse rambled for a moment as Mr. Aarons pulled Leslie from Jesse's lap into his arms. He stood up and motioned for Jesse to follow.

"It's okay son. Now go tell your mother to call an ambulance." He ordered as he began running towards the house. Jesse nodded. He was exhausted from carrying Leslie but some how he found the strength within himself to run a little farther. He raced past his father all the way to the house. Tearing inside he nearly knocked May Belle flat as he skidded into the kitchen and yelled for his mom at the top of his lungs.

"Mom! Call an ambulance, Leslie is hurt!"


End file.
